MIDE BEAUMONT COUNSELLING

CONFIDENTIALITY & PRIVACY POLICY

CONFIDENTIALITY

It is important that you feel able to trust me as your counsellor and to talk freely in your counselling sessions. I am fully committed to working confidentially and ethically with my clients and I work in accordance with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy’s (BACP) Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. What you discuss with me remains strictly confidential.

However, confidentiality has certain ethical and legal limitations. Confidentiality may be limited where there is a significant risk of harm to you or others. If I felt that confidentiality needed to be lifted I would seek to discuss this with you first. I will discuss confidentiality with you before we start to work together.

I work with a supervisor to ensure that I maintain good practice in my work with clients and that all aspects of my practice are conducted effectively, safely and ethically. I maintain confidentiality when working with my supervisor and do not disclose the surnames or addresses of my clients.

PRIVACY

Protecting client data

I understand that your privacy is very important to you and that you care about how your personal information is used and shared. I take your privacy very seriously. I apply the values and principles of the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions in all aspects of my work, including my counselling sessions with clients, how I store and manage information, my communications in person, by email and phone and my use of data gathered from my website.

I am required by law to comply with the requirements of both the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (reference no: ZB294094). I am the Data Protection Officer (DPO) and I can be contacted at mide@midebeaumontcounselling.co.uk.

What information do I keep?

I hold two types of information:

1. Personal information – client’s full name, date of birth, address, email/phone numbers, emergency contact details and any other information supplied by clients as part of the initial assessment process; GP or other health professional contact details and any related correspondence; copy of the counsellor – client agreement. I will use this information to provide my counselling services and respond to communications from you. I will not share your information for marketing or any other purposes.
2. Therapeutic records – a brief summary of the main themes of each counselling session.

Personal information and therapeutic records are always stored separately so that they can never be linked.

Data is held both digitally and paper based. I will protect your privacy by encrypting digital data and keeping paper records in a locked filing cabinet. No one else has access to this data.

When you start counselling with me I am required to retain your data for up to 7 years after you have finished counselling.

I conduct an annual review to determine if I need to keep your data and to ensure that data held is accurate and up to date.

Access to your information

You have the right to request a copy of the information that I hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information please email me at mide@midebeaumontcounselling.co.uk. I will provide the information requested within a month but I may make a small charge for this service.

My website

My website, https://midebeaumontcounselling.co.uk, is owned and operated by me from the UK.

I respect and value the privacy of everyone that visits my website and I only collect/use information in ways that are useful to you in a manner consistent with your rights and my legal obligations, including those of both the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Like many websites my website uses cookies, uses Google analytics and may contain links to other websites.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your computer to collect standard internet information and visitor behaviour information. Cookies allow you to navigate between pages efficiently, enable automatic activation of certain features, remember your preferences for future visits to my website and make the interaction between you and my website quicker/easier.

Some of this information is used to track visitor use of my website and to compile statistical reports on website activity which are used to improve website performance and user experience. You can set your browser to not accept cookies and you can also remove cookies from your browser. However, if you do, some features on my website may not function and your online experience may be restricted.

Cookies do not contain any information that personally identifies you.

Google analytics

I also use a product called Google Analytics to collect information about the use of my website. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users access my website, what pages they visit when they do so, etc. I use the information obtained from Google Analytics to do nothing more than improve my website. Google Analytics collects the Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to you when you visit my website, rather than your name or any other identifying personal information. I do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with any of your personal information. Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to my website is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy.

Other websites

My website may contain links to other websites. The privacy policy outlined here only applies to my website. So, if you follow a link to another website you should read its privacy policy.

Changes to my privacy policy

My privacy policy is regularly reviewed and any changes will be placed on this web page. This privacy policy was last updated on 4 July 2024.

Contact me

If you have any queries concerning this Confidentiality & Privacy Policy, your personal information or any questions on my use of your personal information, please don’t hesitate to email me at mide@midebeaumontcounselling.co.uk.